I Don't Want to Be a Charmboy【Quick Wear】

Chapter 393 His Highness the Crown Prince is Outstandingly Talented (31)

The atmosphere inside the hall became even more subtle and tense due to this unexpected incident.

Although the sounds of string and wind instruments continued, and the dancers' flowing sleeves still fluttered, many people's minds were no longer on the song and dance. Their gazes, whether open or hidden, shifted between the emperor sitting high on his throne, the silent crown prince with his eyes lowered, and the imperial advisor who had stirred up waves the moment he appeared.

"Ah."

A low, suppressed laugh, tinged with anger, rang out from the first row on the right.

Jiu Fangcheng suddenly raised the gilded wine vessel in front of him, tilted his head back, and gulped it down.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and amber-colored liquor slid down his sharply defined jawline, soaking the lapel of his magnificent purple robe.

He drank it very quickly, as if it were not fine imperial wine, but cool water that could extinguish the evil fire in his heart.

After finishing his cup, he slammed the wine vessel down on the table with a dull thud, drawing the attention of several nearby officials.

He was completely unaware, or rather, he didn't care at all. He poured himself two more cups and drank them down in one gulp.

After three glasses of strong liquor, a burning sensation shot from his stomach to the top of his head, but it did nothing to quell the surging anger in his chest. He raised his hand and wiped the liquor stains from his lips with his knuckles. His tongue unconsciously licked his slightly sharp canine tooth, like a ferocious beast locking onto its prey, his gaze fixed on the figure on the Crown Prince's seat opposite him.

Burning, focused, with undisguised aggression and a determination to win.

Lin Shen naturally felt the gaze that seemed to pierce through him.

Of course, this isn't the only one.

The man on the throne had a deep, unfathomable gaze, filled with scrutiny and a complex emotion he was unwilling to delve into for the time being, like an invisible spiderweb enveloping him.

The Imperial Advisor Yun Qing, who had just left, had already taken his seat and remained silent with his eyes lowered, but the gaze that had once fallen on him through the white cloth seemed to retain a cold weight.

Now, there's also this gaze from Jiu Fangcheng, which almost sets him ablaze.

Lin Shen frowned slightly, a hint of impatience rising in his heart.

He lowered his eyelashes, concealing the emotions in his eyes, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the rim of the cool wine glass.

My thoughts, however, have already drifted to the distant past.

……

The hustle and bustle of the palace banquet was left far behind as Lin Shen strolled into the Imperial Garden.

The summer night breeze, carrying the dampness of the lotus pond and the fragrance of grass and trees, slightly dispelled the suffocating oppression inside the hall. He didn't really want to admire the scenery; he just needed a moment of tranquility to clear his chaotic thoughts.

Instead of heading towards the brightly lit pavilions and towers, he turned into a quieter path, at the end of which stood a small pavilion half-hidden among weeping willows and craggy rocks.

The place was dimly lit, with only the hazy glow of the palace lanterns in the distance and the cool moonlight shining down, which suited his taste perfectly.

I had just sat down on the stone bench in the pavilion and poured myself a cup of warm tea, but before I could even put it in my mouth, I sensed someone approaching.

The footsteps were extremely light, carrying a unique rhythm.

Lin Shen did not turn around, but simply took a small sip of the slightly bitter tea.

As expected, the white figure soon appeared at the pavilion entrance.

Yun Qing seemed to have just strolled here casually. When he saw someone in the pavilion, he paused slightly, then naturally stepped into the pavilion and sat down comfortably on the stone bench opposite him.

A stone table separated the two, and neither spoke for a moment. Only the rustling of willow branches in the evening breeze and the faint sound of music drifting from afar could be heard.

Silence spread through the night, but it didn't feel awkward. Instead, it evoked a subtle feeling of not knowing where to begin after a long separation.

In the end, Lin Shen broke the silence first. He put down his teacup, his gaze falling on the thin veil covering Yun Qing's eyes. His voice was calm, revealing little emotion.

"haven't seen you for a long time."

Upon hearing this, Yun Qing's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if she wanted to laugh, but also felt some other emotion.

He raised his hand, his fingertips gently hooking the white gauze knot tied behind his head, and slowly untied it.

The sheer veil slipped down, revealing a pair of unusual eyes.

It was an almost grayish-white color, with the boundary between the iris and the pupil somewhat blurred, as if covered by a thin mist that never dissipates, and even the long eyelashes were pure white.

This appearance, which should have seemed eerie or even terrifying, was strangely blended into a breathtaking, inhuman beauty on his refined and otherworldly face.

He was also looking at Lin Shen, his gray-white eyes shining brightly in the dim light, clearly reflecting Lin Shen's figure.

"Long time no see," he replied softly, his voice less cold and more hoarse than when he was in the hall.

Looking at him like this, Lin Shen felt that he gradually overlapped with the thin, always wary and gloomy boy in the cold palace in his memory, yet he was also clearly different.

He suddenly chuckled softly, his tone carrying a touch of sincere sigh.

"You're still as beautiful as ever."

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples on Yun Qing's mind.

He was visibly startled for a moment, and then, a thin blush spread across his jade-like ears at a visible speed. He pursed his lips slightly, his eyelashes trembling, avoiding Lin Shen's direct gaze, and lowered his voice.

"You always praise me like that."

This sentence inadvertently opened the floodgates of memory.

In a daze, Yun Qing felt as if she had returned to that cold, desolate palace.

At that time, he was a slave who was regarded as a monster by everyone because of his unusual appearance and was bullied at will, while Lin Shen was just a down-and-out prince whose life was uncertain and who was ignored by everyone.

Two beings, as insignificant as ants, meet for the first time within the dilapidated palace walls.

He remembered clearly that Lin Shen was covered in wounds and so hungry that he could barely stand, but under his wary gaze, he grinned with a blood-stained smile and said the first thing he said.

"You look so good-looking."

At that time, he hated his white hair and heterochromatic eyes. This body brought him only endless fear, disgust and torment.

He felt like an ominous freak.

Yet, this boy, who was also in the mud and looked even more disheveled than him, said he was handsome in such a frank and even appreciative tone.

He even found it absurd that... the boy in front of him, even with his face covered in blood, had eyes that were a thousand times, ten thousand times more beautiful than his own.

Memories unconsciously brought a very slight curve to Yun Qing's cold lips.

Lin Shen saw that the person in front of him was still the same as before. A single compliment could make his ears turn red and reveal such a helpless expression, completely different from the aloof and cold national advisor in the main hall just now.

He couldn't help but find it amusing and chuckled softly.

However, this brief and delicate atmosphere was abruptly shattered by a voice that suddenly interrupted.

"What are Ah Bao and the Imperial Preceptor talking about? Why are they so happy?"

The voice carried a hint of lazy laughter, yet it pierced the stillness of the night like a cold dagger.

Lin Shen was slightly taken aback and turned to look in the direction of the sound.

A person slowly emerged from behind the shadow of the artificial hill on one side of the pavilion.

The bright yellow imperial robe gleamed with a noble yet cold luster under the moonlight. Who else could it be but Emperor Qi, Lin Lisheng?

He wore a seemingly gentle smile, but his gaze was as tangible as it slowly swept over the two people sitting opposite each other in the pavilion, finally settling on Lin Shen's face.